Suspended clothes-rack.



B. B. BOSWORTH.

-SUSPENDED CLOTHES RACK. APPLIOATION FILED APR. 5, 1909.

941,909. I i Patented Nov.30, 1909.

WITNESSES lA/l/E/VTGR ATTORNEYS BIRNEY BOARDMAN BOSWORTI-I, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SUSPENDED CLOTHES-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

Application filed April 5, 1909. Serial No. 487,942.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BIRNEY BOARDMAN BOSWORTH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Suspended Clothes-Rack, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to elevating racks or driers adapted to support clothes or similar articles to dry.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of this kind which is eX- tremely light and simple in construction, with improved means for elevating the supporting frame and for maintaining it in a horizontal position.

A further object of the invention is to improve the construction of the supporting frame itself.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective of the device as in practical use; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken at one end of the device, passing through the supporting bracket, and illustrating details of the operating mechanism for elevating the rack; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but taken at the other end of the device, and further illustrating details of the construction; Fig. 4 is an edge elevation of the bracket shown in Fig. 2 with the sheave removed; Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing a short portion of one of the rods, and illustrating the manner in which it is attached to the main supporting bars of the rack; and Fig. 6 is a perspective of a wedge which is employed at the point of connection between the main bars and the rods.

Referring more particularly to the parts,

1 and 2 represent cleats which are adapted to be attached to the under side of the ceiling, as indicated, and in a position parallel with each other. On the outer edge of the cleat 1, a sheave bracket 3 is attached, the details of the construction of which are clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Opposite this sheave bracket, an anchor bracket 4 is attached to the outer edge of the cleat 2. These brackets 3 and 4 are attached to the middle points of the cleats, as indicated.

Referring especially to Figs. 2 and 4, the bracket 3 is provided with a sheave 5, and between the bracket 3 and the bracket 4, guide rods 6 are provided. These rods have enlarged heads 7 formed upon them adja cent to the bracket 8, and the bracket is provided with slots 8 which extend into the side wall thereof. These slots have enlarged portions which permit the heads 7 to pass, as indicated, at the side of the bracket, and have reduced portions adjacent to these onlarged points, which will maintain the head against lateral displacement. The ends of the guide rods 6, remote from the bracket 3, are provided with screw threads 9, as indicated, and pass through the anchor bracket 4. At this point, nuts 10 are provided on the threads, which seat against the outer side of the anchor bracket 4 and afford means for drawing the rods 6 longitudinally to place them under tension. In this way the heads 7 are securely seated in the slots 8 and held against lateral displacement.

On the under sides of the cleats 1 and 2, I provide guide pulleys 11, and through these guide pulleys, cords 12 pass, these cords being united at junction points 13 and 13 near the guide rods 6. These points 13 and 13 are connected by an equalizer cord 14 which passes around the sheave 5, as indicated. At the points 13 and 13 the equalizer cord 14 is provided with guide rings 15 which slide freely on the guide rods, as will be readily understood. At the point 13 which is adjacent to the bracket 3, a pulley 16 is attached and around this pulley a draw-cord 17 passes, one end of which is anchored at 18 to the ceiling. This cord passes longitudinally of the guide rods 6, and adjacent the point 18, a guide pulley 19 is provided through which the running side of the cord 17 passes. From this point the cord 17 passes downwardly so as to be within reach from the floor, and its lower end passes around a cleat 20 secured at a convenient point on the wall.

The cords 12 support a rack 21 which is formed of two main bars 22. These bars are formed of strips of light sheet metal which is bent into U-form, as indicated in Fig. 5, so that each bar presents upwardly projecting side flanges 28 connected by a curved integral web 24-. In this way the bars are made to present the form of channels opening upwardly. The flanges 23 are provided with alining openings 25, and these openings are disposed equidistant, as shown, and in these openings 25, parallel rods or rails 26 are arranged, as indicated. Each of these rods 26 is provided at the proper point with a transverse slot 27 on its under side. These slots 27 are adapted to be engaged by the edges of wedges 28 which are formed of light sheet metal bent as indicated in Fig. 6, that is, these wedges are bent so that they conform to the curvature of the curved web 24: at the bottoms of the bars 22. As viewed in side elevation, these wedges taper slightly so that when driven under the bars, as indicated in Fig. 5, they will become jammed in position. The ends 01 the rods or rails 26 extend beyond the bars 22. This arrangement is adopted so as to equalize the strain upon them when clothes are hung throughout their length. In other words, their weight is distributed on the cantaliver principle. By constructing the rack in this manner the rods 26 may be made much lighter than otherwise.

Special attention is called to the very simple and light construction of the U-bars 22. On account of their form they present great rigidity in a vertical plane.

In the operation of the rack, in order to elevate it it is only necessary to pull upon the cord 17 This will advance the points 13 and 13 toward each other. In this connection attention is called especially to the fact. that these points 13 and 13 are guided longitudinally on the rods 6 by means of the sliding rings 15. This is an important feature as it insures that the cords 12 will move up or down by an equal amount, and from this, of course, it follows that the rack will constantly be maintained in a horizontal position. Attention is called to the fact that this horizontal position will be maintained irrespective of whether the weights on the rack are equally distributed or not.

It will be noted that the cords 12, to-

gether with their cooperating parts, constitute a very simple harness for raising and lowering the rack.

hen in use, the rack will be held at a low level while clothes are being hung upon it, and it will then be raised to a higher level so as to be out of the way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a device of the class described, in combination, a rack, a plurality of cords supporting said rack, a plurality of pulleys guiding said cords, said cords being connected to form junction points, means for advancing said junction points with respect to each other, and means for guiding said junction points in a substantially straight line so as to maintain said rack in a substantially horizontal plane.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a rack, a plurality of pendent cords supporting said rack, guide pulleys about which said cords pass respectively, said cords being connected to form junction points, a guide, members attached to said cords adjacent to said junction points and running on said guide, and means for advancing said junction points with respect to each other.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, a guide having a bracket adapted to be attached to the ceiling, a sheave held in said bracket, a rack, cords supporting said rack, guide pulleys about which said cords pass, said cords being connected in pairs to form junction points, rings running on said guide and connected with said junction points to guide the same, an equalizer cord connecting said junction points passing around said sheave and giving said junction points an equal travel, and means for advancing said junction points with respect to each other.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination, a pair of oppositely disposed cleats, a pair of guide rods extended be tween said cleats, rings running on said guide rods, cords connected with said rings, guide pulleys attached to said cleats and through which said cords are pendent, a rack attached to said cords, and means for advancing said rings to raise said rack.

5. In a device of the class described, in combination, a pair of oppositely disposed cleats adapted to be attached to the ceiling and having pulleys attached thereto, a sheave bracket attached to one of said cleats, an anchor bracket attached to the other of said cleats, guide rods extending between said brackets, rings running on said guide rods, cords connected to said rings and passing over said pulleys and pendent therefrom,

' around said sheave.

6. In a device of the class described, in combination, a bracket having slots in the sides thereof, a second bracket, guide rods having enlarged heads adjacent to said slots and having extremities passing through said second bracket, said slots having enlarged portions adapted to pass said heads and reduced portions adapted to return said heads, and means for placing said guide rods under tension.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

BIRNEY BOARDMAN BOSWORTH.

Witnesses:

F. D. AMMEN, PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs. 

